The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 in The Medium presents a striking imbalance. The data reveals a processor that is dramatically overqualified for this title, paired with a graphics card that becomes the definitive bottleneck at every resolution. The measured frame rates show a clear pattern: the CPU's substantial resources remain largely idle while the GPU struggles to maintain playable numbers, particularly at higher settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a desktop processor built on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The processor sits in the 9000 series and has a TDP of 120 watts, using the AMD Socket AM5 platform. It supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU also includes 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a defining feature of the X3D line and typically benefits gaming workloads.

Benchmark results place this CPU at the 87th percentile when compared to all processors, with an average benchmark score of 39768. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS, which scores 39603 (a 0.4% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700, which scores 40081 (a -0.8% delta). In Cinebench R23, the processor achieves 23230 points in multi-core and 2080 points in single-core tests. The 3DMark 16-thread test yields a score of 10081, while the 2-thread test produces 2394, indicating strong scaling across core counts.

In The Medium, the CPU's role appears minimal. The game's frame rates are consistently low, even at 1080p, which suggests the workload is not taxing the 9800X3D. For instance, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 84. This is a solid result, but considering the CPU's synthetic scores, it is not a demanding scenario. The processor's passmark multithread score of 40009 and integer math score of 116709 indicate it can handle far more complex physics and logic than this game requires. The data implies that the 9800X3D is not the limiting factor; the frame pacing and overall performance are dictated by the graphics card. The 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for The Medium's dual-reality rendering design, which is a known feature of the horror title, but the measured numbers show the CPU waiting on the GPU rather than the reverse.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, using the Navi 23 chip on a 7 nm process. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1626 MHz, with a boost clock of 2491 MHz and a game clock of 2044 MHz. It features 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The card also includes 28 ray tracing cores, which is relevant for a title like The Medium that uses ray tracing for its unique visual style.

The GPU's benchmark performance places it at the 63rd percentile among all graphics cards, with an average score of 19036. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030, 0% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049, -0.1% delta). In direct tests, the RX 6600 scores 1492 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, and 15096 in PassMark G3D. The FP32 compute performance is 8.928 TFLOPS, which is a moderate figure for modern titles.

The data shows that the RX 6600 is the primary constraint in The Medium. At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS drops to 35, with a minimum of 29 and a maximum of 40. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is likely stretched by the game's high-resolution textures and the dual-world rendering technique, which requires loading two scenes simultaneously. The memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s may also be insufficient for the data throughput required at 4K. The frame rate variance observed—from 25 FPS at High to 20 FPS at Ultra in 4K—indicates that the GPU's compute units are saturated. The game clock of 2044 MHz is the practical sustained frequency, and the results suggest it cannot handle the pixel load at higher settings. The card's performance at 1080p Low (84 FPS) is playable, but the steep decline at higher resolutions and settings points directly to the GPU as the bottleneck, not the CPU.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience is found at lower settings, especially at higher resolutions. The data shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and smoothness. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 52 FPS on average, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 60. This is a playable range for a horror game, where frame pacing matters for atmosphere. The Low preset at 1080p yields 84 FPS, which is very smooth, but the Medium preset provides a better balance of visual quality and performance, as the jump from Low to Medium only costs 32 FPS while likely improving the game's lighting and shadow effects.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset produces 44 FPS, with a minimum of 37 and a maximum of 51. This is borderline playable, but the Low preset at 71 FPS is much safer for consistent gameplay. The High preset at 32 FPS is too low for a smooth experience, and Ultra dips to 25 FPS. For 1440p users, Low is the recommended preset to maintain a stable frame rate, as the Medium preset's 44 FPS may cause judder during fast camera movements.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more severe. The Low preset averages 55 FPS, which is the only preset that approaches playability. The Medium preset averages 35 FPS, and High drops to 25 FPS, while Ultra is at 20 FPS. The data indicates that 4K users should stick to Low settings. The jump from Low to Medium at 4K costs 20 FPS, which is a significant hit for visual improvements that may not be noticeable in a slow-paced horror game. The measured rows show that the Medium preset is the best compromise at 1080p, while Low is the only viable option at 1440p and 4K. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it only reaches 30 FPS at 1080p, which is below the threshold for smooth motion.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 2904 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This ranking places it in the bottom 22% of all tested configurations, which is a poor result for a system featuring one of the most powerful gaming CPUs available. The data suggests that the CPU is not contributing to the ranking; rather, the GPU is dragging the combo down.

The rank of 2904 implies that most other tested combinations, including those with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs, outperform this pairing. The delta between this combo and the top performers is substantial, though the FACT PACK does not specify the exact score of the top combo. The percentile of the CPU (87th) and the GPU (63rd) are far apart, and the combo's rank reflects the lower of the two. This is a classic case of a bottleneck, where the RX 6600's 8 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth limit the system's ability to render The Medium's demanding scenes. The CPU's 96 MB L3 cache and 5.20 GHz boost clock are irrelevant when the GPU cannot push frames faster than 84 FPS at 1080p Low.

The ranking indicates that for this specific game, the 9800X3D is wasted. A user who purchased this CPU for gaming would see no benefit over a cheaper processor in The Medium, because the RX 6600 is the limiting factor. The combo's rank is a stark illustration of how a mismatched pairing can underperform. Comparatively, a combo with a mid-range CPU and a higher-end GPU would likely rank much higher in the same game, as the workload is clearly GPU-bound. The data shows that the 9800X3D's strong benchmark scores do not translate into in-game performance when paired with a budget GPU.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 52, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 60.

*Q: How does the combo rank in The Medium?*

A: The combo ranks 2904 out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the rankings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 55, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 20. The CPU's benchmark scores are high, but the frame rates are low, suggesting the RX 6600 cannot keep up.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Low preset provides the best experience at 2560x1440, with an average FPS of 71. The Medium preset yields 44 FPS, which is less stable.

Q: What is the GPU's memory size and type?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the CPU's boost clock?

A: The CPU has a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. The numbers are consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where each increment in resolution or setting yields a significant FPS penalty.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 20 FPS, which is unplayable. The High preset averages 25 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 35 FPS, with a minimum of 29 and a maximum of 40. The Low preset at this resolution averages 55 FPS, which is the only playable option. The difference between Low and Medium is 20 FPS, indicating a heavy cost for the added visual effects.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 25 FPS, and the High preset averages 32 FPS. The Medium preset averages 44 FPS, with a minimum of 37 and a maximum of 51. The Low preset averages 71 FPS, which is the most playable. The gap between Low and Medium here is 27 FPS, showing that even at 1440p, the Medium preset is demanding.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 30 FPS, and the High preset averages 37 FPS. The Medium preset averages 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 60. The Low preset averages 84 FPS, which is the highest measured number in the entire dataset. The delta between Low and Medium at 1080p is 32 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU's performance scales inversely with the preset quality. The data shows that the combo can achieve playable frame rates only at Low settings for 1440p and 4K, while Medium is viable only at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the nature of the bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 84 at 1920x1080 to 71 at 2560x1440, and then to 55 at 3840x2160. This is a drop of 13 FPS (15.5%) from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 16 FPS (22.5%) from 1440p to 4K. The percentage decline from 1080p to 4K is 34.5%, from 84 to 55 FPS.

At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 52 at 1080p to 44 at 1440p, and then to 35 at 4K. The decline from 1080p to 4K is 17 FPS, or 32.7%. At High settings, the FPS drops from 37 at 1080p to 32 at 1440p, and then to 25 at 4K, a total decline of 12 FPS (32.4%). At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 30 at 1080p to 25 at 1440p, and then to 20 at 4K, a decline of 10 FPS (33.3%).

The consistency of the percentage decline across all settings—roughly 32-34% from 1080p to 4K—is a strong indicator that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would not scale linearly with resolution, as the CPU workload would remain constant. Instead, the data shows that the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are being saturated. The 8 GB VRAM is likely a contributing factor, as The Medium's dual-world rendering requires more memory at higher resolutions, leading to potential texture swapping or lower effective performance. The fact that the FPS drops by a similar percentage regardless of settings suggests that the GPU is running at its maximum capacity across all presets, with the resolution being the primary variable. The RX 6600's 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for the data demands of 4K, and the 128-bit memory bus limits the data transfer rate. This scaling pattern confirms that the 9800X3D is waiting idle, and any upgrade to a stronger GPU would yield significant FPS improvements at all resolutions, particularly at 1080p where the CPU could push much higher frame rates if the GPU allowed it.